Tag: Chaos Order

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Music Music Blog

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn

Mary Owen’s plays Otherlands on Saturday, July 25th

Welcome to the 26th edition of my Weekend Roundup! Beat the heat with one (or all) of these great local shows this weekend. From hardcore punk to folk rock, there’s something for everyone on this list, including a massive benefit show at the Buccaneer on Saturday night. 

Friday, July 24th.
Jason Lee McKinney Band, 7:30 p.m. at the Levitt Shell, free.

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn (3)

Chaos Order, Concrete, Lowered AD, 8 p.m. at the Hi-Tone, $5. 

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn (4)

Ben Callicott, Jack Moran, Will Tucker, 8:30 p.m. at Otherlands , $8.

Zigadoo Moneyclips, The Band of Ooo, Other Stories, The Aquaducks, 9 p.m. at Found Studio, $5.

Maitre D’s, 10 p.m. at Bar DKDC, $5.

American Fiction, 10 p.m. at Lafayette’s Music Room.

Saturday, July 25th.
Light up the Night, 6 p.m. at the Hi-Tone, $5.

Brad Boswell Benefit featuring Dave Cousar, Deering and Down, Detective Bureau, Marcella & Her Lovers, Devil Train, the Sheiks, Jack Oblivian, Richard James, and Midnight Fistfight, 6 p.m. at The Buccaneer, $10.

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn (2)

Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar, 7:30 p.m. at the Levitt Shell, free.

Air Supply, 8 p.m. at the Horseshoe Casino, prices vary.

Mary Owens, Lauren Moscato, Jeffrey Jordan, Kris Acklen, 8:30 p.m. at Otherlands, $8.

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn

Magnolia Sons, 10 p.m. at Lafayette’s Music Room.

Hope Clayburn and the Soul Scrimmage, 10 p.m. at The Cove.

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn (5)

Sunday, July 26th.
Charlie and the Foxtrots, 4 p.m. at Lafayette’s Music Room.

Toad The Wet Sprocket, 7 p.m. at Minglewood Hall, prices vary.

Mark Edgar Stuart, 7:30 p.m. at the Levitt Shell, free.

Weekend Roundup 26: Mary Owens, The Sheiks, Hope Clayburn (6)

Brawful, 10:30 p.m. at the Hi-Tone, $7.

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Music Music Features

Chaos Order: Chords of Disharmony

CREDIT: Erica Grant

Despite notions to the contrary, there’s never been a shortage of great bands operating within the heavier factions of underground music on the Memphis scene. Reserving Dirtnaps, Gringos, Evil Army, Strengths, Klaxxon, and Dawn Patrol provide an incomplete list that suggests circa-right-now to be particularly fertile when it comes to punk’s, hardcore’s, and metal’s three-decade habit of jumping into the sack together.

The hard-working Chaos Order — vocalist/lyricist Neal Bledsoe, bassist/co-songwriter Jared Filsinger, guitarist Austin Russell, and drummer Samuel Davidson — is a quartet more than deserving of a position in that front line, incorporating a variety of influences including, but not limited to, the heavy D-beat rush of Disfear, the crust-core of early Neurosis, earlier somewhat straightforward (think pre-prog rock) Mastodon, along with some thematic similarities to the left-hand-path aesthetics of Integrity. The band’s impressive work ethic and momentum have created a productive 2015/2016.

In February, Beserker Records re-released the six-song Regulus EP on cassette. In April, two previously unused/unheard songs from the Vultures sessions were put together as Evacuating Earth, a digital and cassette release on local label Fly the Light Records. Throughout the winter Chaos Order was also focused on recording new material (at Ardent and Secret Team Headquarters with Alan Burcham) that would eventually yield the four songs that comprise the band’s newest EP, Distant Chords of Disharmony. Blasphemour Records, the California label that released the Chaos Order/Werewolf Congress split 7″ in May 2014, will release the EP digitally and on cassette in August. Two of the four EP tracks were released on Chaos Order’s Bandcamp page last month: The blazing “Yourself and All Together” and the expansive “Eternal Recurrence” are unlike anything in the quartet’s body of work.

“There wasn’t any forethought or apprehension regarding the elements that ended up making the song different, meaning the slower parts, the piano and Neal’s clean chorus and backing vocals,” Filsinger says. “In fact, all of the music was done on ‘Eternal,’ and Neal went in afterwards one night and did all of the vocal tracks by himself.”

The song kicks off with a characteristically propulsive and intense riff-driven attack but soon shifts into something that recalls the more spacious and darkly melancholic tendencies of Neurosis. Bledsoe’s vocal performance combines with the forward-thinking instrumental nature of the song to make the entire presentation a positive game-changer for the band. Far removed from the done-to-death heavy music trope of good-cop/bad-cop vocal dynamics, the singing on “Eternal Recurrence” showcases Bledsoe’s noteworthy range, from an emotive scream to a couple of melodic approaches that do the heavy lifting when it comes to setting the mood and carrying the song’s massive hook. The uninformed would be forgiven for assuming all of it might be bolstered by guest vocals, like the shorter and thrashier “Yourself and All Together,” to which Pezz’s Ceylon Mooney contributed a clean and catchy backing chorus to similar but simpler effect.

“We love all types of music and this was just a natural progression of going where the songwriting took us. I feel like it ended up sounding like what it was: completely organic,” Bledsoe says.

Though not unidentifiable as Chaos Order compositions, this inspired move forward in songwriting and other sonic attributes nonetheless speaks to the potential of the three days the band has booked in October at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, where they will record two songs with the studio’s legendary founder/owner/operator, Steve Albini. The songs are already written and slated for a split 7″ EP with St. Louis’ Better Days. That EP will be released in early 2016 by Fly the Light and Encapsulated Records.

“It was a choice between [working with] Albini and Bill Stevenson. After writing both songs and working out logistics, the more favorable response came from Albini,” Bledsoe says. “We’re huge fans of his work with Neurosis, the Jesus Lizard, and the Pixies and of his technique in general. I could listen to 300 albums and pick out which ones he engineered.”

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Music Music Blog

Hatebreed Celebrates 20 Years Tonight at the Hi-Tone

Hatebreed.

We recently covered tonight’s show in our After Dark section, but in case you missed the memo, Hatebreed is playing Memphis tonight at the Hi-Tone. The show will probably sell out, and will start earlier than normal so that even the youngest of metal heads can get a chance to see Jamey Jasta and his crew in action. Check out music from each band playing below, then get to the Hi-Tone by 7 p.m. with $20 bucks in your hand.

Hatebreed Celebrates 20 Years Tonight at the Hi-Tone

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Hatebreed Celebrates 20 Years Tonight at the Hi-Tone (2)

Hatebreed Celebrates 20 Years Tonight at the Hi-Tone (3)

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Music Music Features

Hatebreed Live at the Hi-Tone

Hatebreed will celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band next Tuesday night at the Hi-Tone. Choosing to play the Hi-Tone over Minglewood Hall or the New Daisy (where Hatebreed played in 2007 on the Monsters of Mayhem II tour) is especially interesting considering that after this gig the band will immediately join Slipknot for a string of shows in places like the Super Dome and the U.S. Cellular Center.

Formed in 1994 in Connecticut, Hatebreed quickly became one of the torchbearers of early metalcore, along with bands like Earth Crisis, Converge, and Merauder. By combining elements of traditional hardcore punk and heavy metal, Hatebreed took the NYHC sound from the late ’80s and beefed it up even more, creating a sound that is still being emulated today by bands across the globe. After releasing the excellent Under The Knife EP, the band signed to Victory records and released Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire, an album still considered to be the blueprint for the perfect metalcore record by many of the genre’s purists. After touring with some of the biggest acts in heavy metal (Slayer, The Deftones), Hatebreed officially crossed over into the mainstream world of aggressive rock, meaning their merchandise started showing up in places like Hot Topic and FYE, and their music videos got airplay on MTV’s Headbangers Ball (a show frontman Jamey Jasta ended up hosting for four years).

Hatebreed

When the Hi-Tone announced several months ago that Hatebreed was coming to town, the notion that this was a once-in-a-lifetime show wasn’t lost on any local bands. Chaos Order and Reserving Dirtnaps won the honors, and both bands are a great example of the reach that Hatebreed has had over the genre since forming 20 years ago. It’s an almost sure bet the show will sell out, so get there early.

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Music Music Features

Chaos Order at the Hi-Tone

CREDIT: Heather Horton Photography

Chaos Order is one of the heaviest bands in the city. Falling somewhere between Black Breath and Integrity, their hardcore is infused with metal undercurrents. They self-released their first EP while local label Fly the Light put out their second. In May, California-based Blasphemour Records released their split with Werewolf Congress. Vocalist Neal Bledsoe and bassist Jared Filsinger answered a few questions about their West Coast tour that will take them from Los Angeles up to Seattle, recording their new album, and Memphis in general. They’ll cap off the tour with a rare home appearance at the Gone to the Dogs Fest, Saturday, November 21st, at the Hi-Tone. The event features 14 bands over two nights, and all proceeds go directly to the Street Dog Foundation.

Heather Horton Photography

Chaos Order

Flyer: How did the band form?

Bledsoe: Jared, Sam (Davidson – drums), and Austin (Russell – guitar) were in the [band] Westbound from 2007-2011. When the Westbound’s time had come to an end, we decided to start something new as Chaos Order.

Filsinger: We’d heard other projects that Neal had been a vocalist in and knew he’d be a good fit.

Had you known each other long?

Bledsoe: We’d all been really good friends prior to Chaos Order starting. We’d hangout at each other’s band practices. We met in high school but at different schools. Jared and Sam were introduced to Austin through mutual friends.

Filsinger: Austin introduced everyone to Neal. We knew that we wanted to work together but didn’t know when that would be. When the opportunity came, we immediately seized it. Took four years to happen, but here we are.

Were you influenced by any local bands or the scene here?

Filsinger: The whole band has been a fan of Pezz for a long time. They’re also one of the few Memphis acts in the underground scene with longevity. There have been a lot of good bands that break up prematurely for one reason or another.

Some might say you have a little of the His Hero Is Gone (HHIG) sound.

Bledsoe: We’re all into HHIG/Tragedy, so I can see how some people would see an influence. Crust Punk is definitely one of a myriad of sounds we try to create. We all have very broad musical tastes and really think it’s going to show on the new record.

Can Memphis have a decent scene again?

Bledsoe: Anywhere can have a good scene, even Memphis. Bands are going to have to stop being envious and resenting one another and start supporting each other. Fans of music need to stop sitting at home and lurking online and actually go to shows.

Are there any bands in town you like?

Filsinger: Pezz, Shards Of Humanity, Throne, Dawn Patrol, Klaxxon, Star Killers, Holy Gallows, Werewulf, YET, the Waits, Epoch Of Unlight, the Blood Boys – that’s a very minuscule amount. We could honestly eat up this whole section with great Memphis bands.

Who is helping out the hardcore scene right now, if anyone?

Bledsoe:We can definitely say that Catrina Guttery from Rock 103 is helping out all scenes right now. She’s been a great help to every band in Memphis. Having our music broadcast to people who normally wouldn’t listen to anything like us. We can’t praise her enough. John Miller from the Memphis Music Foundation/Shangri La Records is always wanting to help bands. You just have to reach out to him. Matt Martin from Black Lodge opened up his doors for bands to play shows there. Daniel Craig from Fly The Light Records has been a big help as well.

How did you hooked up with Blasphemour records and how did the West Coast tour come about?

Filsinger: Blasphemour liked our first couple of records and let us know that they’d like to help put out our next release. After talking to the label owner, Ryan, several times, we agreed that he was someone we wanted to work with. Most of the West Coast shows were set up by Ryan Blasphemour and bands on his label like Losing Skin, Funerals, and Werewolf Congress. We have a good fan base out West that supports us and buys our records, but its one of those places that’s so far away, we’re afraid our van would explode on the way home. We approached the label and bands about the tour and they were nice enough to help out and backline the shows with their gear so that we could fly over instead of drive.

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Nights Like These Return with New Music

CREDIT: Nick Hall

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  • Nick Hall

Local metal act Nights Like These play their third show since 2008 this Saturday, with all the proceeds going to local animal shelters. The band released two well received albums on Victory Records, then called it quits in 2008 after crisscrossing the United States on tours where they opened for some of the biggest underground metal acts in the Country. We caught up with Matt Qualls (who has also produced local acts like Cities Aviv and The Dirty Streets) to ask him about the latest chapter in the Nights Like These story.

So this is one of your first shows since the group disbanded. What made you guys decide to get back together?

We decided to get back together after I was about to graduate college in 2013. It was just the perfect time to get back together to do a reunion show. Originally the idea was to do a one time performance, but after we started having a weekly practice we ended up writing a new song, which is featured on the split called “Ox Plow.” We thought the song was one of the strongest songs we have ever written and just said “Screw it, let’s do another record, for ourselves at least.”

The show on Saturday is a release show for your new split EP with The Lions Daughter. How did you link up with those guys? Is there more new material coming?

We know The Lions Daughter through touring with two of the members previous band, Calico System. They have always kept in touch with us and we’ve remained good friends through the years. This whole concept of the split going to no-kill animal shelters was all their idea. Rick, the guitar player from The Lions Daughter pretty much facilitated the entire record being pressed and all the details that go into it. To answer your second question; Yes, we do plan to release one more album. We have no idea when it will be ready but we know that fans will not be disappointed.

All of the proceeds from the show are going to the Streetdog Foundation, Blue Sky Animal Rescue, and the Bailey Arms Animal Rescue. How did you work that out? Did the band approach these animal shelters or did they approach you guys?

Like I said before, the entire concept was pitched to me by Rick. We just handled the Memphis side of things. We played last Saturday in St. Louis and the show raised around $1600 for their shelters. I pretty much had to contact all of the shelters in Memphis myself, with the recommendation and help of friends Shawn Mullins and Brittney Legens. All of the shelters were more than excited to be apart of the benefit and record release.

Do you hope to turn more of your shows into charitable events, or is this more of a one-time thing?

We don’t have any more benefit shows lined up at the moment, but we certainly aren’t opposed to idea. But as far as organizing an event like this, I would say no, we do not plan to do it again.


You guys used to be one of the hardest touring bands in Memphis, do you have any plans to take your music out of town again? Any other upcoming shows you’d like to announce?

We currently have no plans of any shows either in Memphis or elsewhere. We would certainly like to play out of town more often and have many friends in regional areas, but the act of getting us all together to go out of town for a whole weekend is pretty difficult as we all have other things going on in our lives.

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  • Zach Joe


Nights Like These with The Lions Daughter and Chaos Order this Saturday at the Hi-Tone Cafe, $5, 7 p.m. doors.